


Kiss You Twice ('Cause It's Gonna Be Alright)

by Signsofsam



Series: I Hate Accidents (Except When We Went From Friends To This) [19]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Domestic, Family, Family Feels, Family Issues, Future Fic, M/M, Not Beta Read, One Shot, Slice of Life, idek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:54:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25770958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Signsofsam/pseuds/Signsofsam
Summary: Eddie shakes his head. “No, you should take a shower; I know you’re tired. I’ll pull up my big boy pants and talk to him. That’s what I’m supposed to do as the adult, right?”Buck grins, leaning in to kiss him. “Just remember what you told me: your child has said something mean to you and broken your heart a little. How you act now determines if you pass the true test of fatherhood,” he whispers, giving Eddie a second, firmer,I love you and you’ve got thiskiss before he climbs off the bed and heads towards the master bath. Eddie gives himself another few moments to breathe, to collect his thoughts and remind himself above all else toremain calm.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Series: I Hate Accidents (Except When We Went From Friends To This) [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1584202
Comments: 15
Kudos: 266
Collections: 9-1-1 Tales





	Kiss You Twice ('Cause It's Gonna Be Alright)

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is sort of a companion to [Kiss Me Once ('Cause You Know I Had a Long Night](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22779643). Title is also from _Paper Rings_ by Taylor Swift.
> 
> Just of note: there's some off-handed mentioning of bullying.

The house is quiet when Buck opens the door, and he’s immediately concerned. With two teenagers, two grown men, and a dog, their house is always filled with noise, and it’s honestly one of the best things about arriving home, because it’s filled with this absolute joy of a life that he helped to create. Coming off a 24 hour shift, the last twelve without his husband, he was expecting that noise to keep him awake long enough for a shower and dinner, and instead, the silence is deafening.

He sets his duffle by the door, frown deepening as he heads down the hall to the boys’ rooms. Nate’s room is dark, but Chris’ door is shut, so he knocks twice before opening it. “Hey, Superman,” he murmurs, his youngest son grinning up from where he’s reading a comic on his bed. “Everything okay here?”

“Dad and Nate had a fight,” Chris says, “and now Dad is sad.”

Well.

“You okay in here?”

Chris nods, turning back to his comic, and Buck shuts his door, heading off to his own bedroom.

Eddie’s on the bed, and for a second, it pulls Buck back into the memories of himself when Chris told him he wasn’t his father. Eddie’s curled on his side, away from the door, and his hand is running through Scarlett’s fur as she lays beside him, as if to comfort him. He glances over his shoulder, sees Buck, and sighs. “Now I know what it feels like,” he starts, and his voice is gravely, and Buck wonders if he’d been crying.

“What _what_ feels like, babe?”

“My son telling me I’m not his real dad. This _sucks_ , Buck.”

Oh.

Shit.

He sits on the edge of the bed, trailing a hand through Eddie’s short hair, smiling sadly as Eddie leans against him, resting his head in Buck’s lap, and Buck can see the red rimming his eyes; he’s definitely been crying. “Eds,” he whispers, leaning down to kiss him softly once, then twice. “I don’t know what happened yet, but I do know, no matter what, Nate didn’t mean it. And _you_ know he didn’t mean it, just like Chris didn’t mean it when he got upset with me.”

“Well it sure felt like he meant it when he was yelling it at me,” Eddie mutters, and Buck laughs. “I’ve never had one of them say that to me. It-God, does it sting.”

“Yeah, I remember. What happened?”

“I went to pick the kids up from school, and got met by the principal; Nate and another kid got into it after the dismissal bell. No one really saw who started it, neither of them are talking, so they are both suspended for the next two days.”

Buck frowns, one eyebrow arching in confusion. “That doesn’t sound like our Nate.”

“I know,” Eddie answers as he sits up. “And I just...I know something’s wrong; I knew it the moment we got in the truck. I pressed, I guess, in the wrong ways, and I didn’t have you there to calm me down and be the rational one as he got more and more defensive and I got more and more angry. We were both yelling in the truck at one another and I told him how disappointed I was in him, and he laughed, that one he does when he’s upset and it’s not actually funny, and said ‘it’s fine, it’s not like I’m disappointing my real dad’. Even Chris gasped.”

“Oh, Eddie-”

“And I just-I froze. It was a gut punch, and I know he didn’t mean it. I know that. But...that’s my kid, and there’s something wrong, and instead of letting me help he just shoved me away and built this wall around him, and he lobbed the bomb he knew would make the biggest blast at me.” Buck gives him a _please tell me you know why_ look, and Eddie rolls his eyes. “And yes, I know that was the point. Doesn’t make it hurt any less.”

“And where exactly is our wayward son right now?”

“We got home and I got Chris settled first, gave us both time to cool off, and Nate came out in his running clothes. I was going to argue, but he had this pleading look on his face and you know how his therapist said to let him go if he wants to go run, because it lets him think, so...I did. Told him to be home in an hour, which-” They both hear the door open and close, “should be any minute now.”

“I’ll talk to him if you need some more-”

Eddie shakes his head. “No, you should take a shower; I know you’re tired. I’ll pull up my big boy pants and talk to him. That’s what I’m supposed to do as the adult, right?”

Buck grins, leaning in to kiss him. “Just remember what you told me: your child has said something mean to you and broken your heart a little. How you act now determines if you pass the true test of fatherhood,” he whispers, giving Eddie a second, firmer, _I love you and you’ve got this_ kiss before he climbs off the bed and heads towards the master bath. Eddie gives himself another few moments to breathe, to collect his thoughts and remind himself above all else to _remain calm_. 

Nate’s waiting in the kitchen, sitting at the island, turning a half-drunk water bottle in his hands. The run has given the bruise right under his eye time to darken and swell, though Eddie can still see the small cut on his cheek. He heads to the refrigerator for an ice pack, holding it out to the teenager, who looks from it to Eddie back to the ice pack before taking it. “Eddie, I-”

“You should put that on that bruise,” Eddie interrupts, and Nate nods, once, resting the pack on his cheek as gingerly as possible. 

“Eddie-”

“How’s your hand?” Eddie interrupts again, still not ready, and Nate shrugs. 

“It’s fine. We got like a punch in a piece. I-”

“And your head? Are you-”

“Eddie, I’m _fine_. And I”m sorry, okay? I’m so, so sorry for what I said. I didn’t mean it, and I-I-I hope you know I didn’t mean it. I just got….you were so angry at me and I just-it came out. I had to say something, you know? Something that stung just as much as you being disappointed in me did. But I didn’t mean it. I’m very lucky to have dads like you and Buck.” The words come out in a rush, like Nate’s been stewing on them the entire time he’s been gone and just needed to get them out, and it settles something in Eddie, almost like the apologetic words of his teenager are pulling the pieces of his heart Nate broke back together, trying to mend them. Eddie comes around the island, and Nate folds easily into his hug, just like normal. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“I know, _mijo_. You didn’t mean it, and it’s-it’s not okay, but it’s okay. It hurt a little--a lot--but sometimes that happens. You’re still my kid, no matter if you’re throwing your best teenage emo at me or not.” Nate laughs, letting Eddie push him away just enough to examine his cheek.

“I promise I’m fine,” he murmurs, but he stays still while Eddie turns his head, fingers gentle as they probe his cheek. “I’d say you should see the other guy, but I don’t think that’s quite what you want to hear right now.”

“No, you’re right, it’s not,” Eddie answers. “What I’d like to hear is what started this fight, Nate. Because as much as you’re sorry to me, I don’t think you’re sorry for punching that other kid, and that’s a problem.”

Nate sighs, pulling away to go sit back at the island, putting the ice pack back on his cheek when Eddie looks pointedly at it. Eddie keeps up a steady stream of _patience, Edmundo, be patient_ in his head as he waits for Nate to speak, heading to the fridge to pull out the leftover spaghetti so he can start heating it up for dinner, if only to give his hands and his mind something to do. 

He’s putting the dish in the oven when Nate finally says, “he said it would be funny to knock Chris’ crutches out from under him while he was walking, so I decided he needed to see he wasn’t quite as intimidating or funny as he thought.” When Eddie turns to look at him, eyes wide, Nate shrugs. “Jack Davidson is an asshole. He likes to make fun of me because I have two dads, because I was a foster kid, because of my mom-whatever. I don’t care; I can take that. He’s just a petty little boy who hasn’t learned to grow up yet and has friends who encourage his immaturity. But he said something about hurting my little brother, and that was it, that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. So yeah, I’m not the least bit sorry for starting that fight; I’m just sorry my anger led to me saying shitty things to you, because you didn’t deserve it.”

“Do we need to talk to the principal about him?” Buck’s voice makes them both jump, but he’s not grinning as he comes into the kitchen. Buck is often the fun parent, but right now he’s deadly serious, watching Nate as he shakes his head. “If he’s bullying you-”

“No. I’ve dealt with my fair share of bullies growing up, and they lose their gumption once they realize you’re not scared of them. Because I never did anything about what Jack said, he thought he had the upper hand, when in reality, I mostly couldn’t bring myself to care about him. But I’m not gonna let anyone hurt Chris or even joke about it. That _my_ little brother, you know? He’s a sweet kid who doesn’t do anything wrong and just happens to have a disability, and I’m not going to let some jerk like Jack Davidson use that against him.”

“And as much as I appreciate you defending Chris like that, you can’t just punch people when they make you mad, Nathan.” Nate flinches at Eddie’s use of his name; he hates it when he upsets Eddie. He hates it when he upsets either of them, but it brings Eddie’s _I’m so disappointed in you_ back to the surface, and he curls more in on himself. He glances up as Eddie reaches over to squeeze his hand. “But also, _mijo_ , I want to know when someone is making fun of you because I know you said you can take it and you don’t care, but Nate, _I care_. Buck cares. I don’t want anyone diminishing the amazing person you are.”

“If it was something serious, I would have said something,” Nate promises, looking from Eddie to Buck. “I’m sorry about the fight, not because I punched him, but because it dragged you guys into it. Because I disappointed you, and I don’t like doing that.”

“Well, as the king of disappointing your parents, I’d say our level of disappointment in you is pretty dang low, bud,” Buck answers with a grin, finally cracking the tension that’s been building. “The only thing we ask is that you start fresh and try to do better tomorrow. And to not start anymore fights, justified or not. Why don’t you go take a shower while we discuss your punishment, hmm? Because you know there have to be consequences.”

“I know,” Nate replies, standing from his seat to shove the ice pack in the fridge. He’s heading towards the hall bathroom when Eddie stops him, giving him another patented Eddie Diaz hug.

“For the record, Nate, I’m sorry I said I was disappointed in you. You’re an amazing son, an amazing brother, and we’re all really lucky to have you in our family. There’s not a bit of you I’m disappointed in.” He presses a kiss to Nate’s forehead, giving him one more tight squeeze before letting him go. “Grab Chris for dinner when you get done, will you?”

Nate nods as he heads towards his room, leaving Eddie and Buck alone in the kitchen. Buck reels Eddie into him, until they’re flush against one another, grinning as he mouths from the juncture of his husband’s neck to the sensitive spot behind his ear that makes him shiver in pleasure. “Passed with flying colors, Eddie Diaz,” he murmurs, pausing just before their lips meet in a heated kiss. “Not that I ever had any doubts.”

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know how I feel about this one, tbh. I've been in quite the writing rut, and I don't know if this is up to par with my normal, but I'm going ahead and posting it because I'm a glutton for punishment? Really, who knows. Thanks in advance for all the comments/kudos, and if you want, come follow me [here](https://signsofsam.tumblr.com/) on tumblr.


End file.
